Hello, goodbye at USF St. Pete

Nothing like showing up to your first big meeting in a lime-green suit nearly identical to your new boss's, eh?

"I would like to compliment you on your green suit," USF System President Judy Genshaft told Sophia Wisniewska, the incoming chancellor of USF St. Petersburg.

"I copied off your exam," Wisniewska joked back.

In all seriousness, though, warm welcomes were waiting for Wisniewska when she attended her first USF board of trustees meeting on Thursday. "We're really, really excited that you're here," Genshaft said.

Wisniewska will officially leave her post as chancellor of Penn State Brandywine and start work in St. Petersburg on July 1. She told the trustees she was "thrilled" to be there and was looking forward to "being on the ground."

The meeting was also a goodbye of sorts for Interim Chancellor Bill Hogarth, who returns to his duties as head of the Florida Institute of Oceanography.

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster issued a proclamation making June 6 "Bill Hogarth Day" in honor of Hogarth's yearlong leadership of the university.

"He is a man who has given up so much of himself, more than he was ever paid for," Foster said. "This was not an eight- or 10-hour job for Dr. Hogarth, it was day and night."

Hogarth said he still planned to hang around the students' coffee shop and eat lunch with them. "I can assure you you'll be accepted with open arms by the students, faculty, everyone here," he told Wisniewska.

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.